'Your body, my choice': Attacks on women surge on social media following U.S. election
Sexist and abusive attacks on women, like "your body, my choice" and "get back to the kitchen," have surged across social media since Donald Trump’s reelection, according to an analysis from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
An X post from White nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes last Tuesday night saying, "Your body, my choice. Forever," has been viewed more than 90 million times and reposted more than 35,000 times. Between Thursday and Friday, the ISD recorded a 4,600% increase in mentions of the phrase on X. And a number of women on TikTok posted videos saying their comments had been filled with users posting the phrase.
"Nick Fuentes" was still trending on X and TikTok on Monday. The phrase "we own your body" was also trending on TikTok, although many of the videos featured women pushing back on the trend.
"Your body, my choice" is an apparent subversion the phrase "my body, my choice," which was used by women as a rallying cry in support of reproductive rights.
The rise in harassment signals that far-right online trolls and extremists feel emboldened by the outcome of an election that many had viewed as a referendum on women’s reproductive rights. On the campaign trail, Trump himself came under fire for comments about women, including that he would protect women whether "they like it or not." Vice-President-elect JD Vance also took heat for comments about women, including deriding "childless cat ladies" and calling Vice-President Kamala Harris "trash."
Many of those trolls are part of the so-called "manosphere," which the ISD describes as online "misogynistic communities that vary from anti-feminism to more explicit, violent rhetoric towards women."
And as with many types of online provocations, experts worry that this type of harassment could spill over into the offline world.
Already, the ISD said, "Young girls and parents have used social media to share instances of offline harassment" involving the phrase "your body, my choice."
"They include the phrase being directed at them within schools or chanted by young boys in classes," according to the report, published Friday.
In some cases, X and TikTok users responded to posts saying "your body, my choice" with vague threats of retaliatory violence.
Other, similar posts have also gone viral on X in recent days, including one from Jon Miller, a former contributor to conservative media outlet TheBlaze, saying, "women threatening sex strikes like LMAO as if you have a say," which received 85 million views. (The post appeared to refer to conversations among young liberal women across TikTok and Instagram about South Korean feminist movement in which straight women refuse to marry, have children, date or have sex with men.)
Posts calling for the repeal of the 19th Amendment, which gives women the right to vote, also surged 663 per cent on X last week, compared to the prior week, the ISD reported.
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The platform’s harassment policy generally prohibits only targeted abuse of specific individuals.
A TikTok spokesperson said "your body, my choice" violates the platform’s community guidelines and that content with mentions of the phrase would be removed unless it is explicitly speaking out against such language. TikTok removed three videos identified by CNN that appeared to suggest threats of retaliatory violence.
The ratcheting up of violent online rhetoric also comes as Black people across the country last week received anonymous, racist text messages referencing slavery and telling them they were "selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation," raising further concerns about violence in the wake of the election. Federal and state authorities are working to find the origins of the messages.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'I recognize these footsteps': How Trump and 'coyote' smuggling changed life at the border
Bent signs bolted to the rail threaten fines and imprisonment should violators cross the boundary into the United States, a warning many people are choosing to ignore simply by walking around the barrier.
From wreckhouse winds to blizzards, mix of weather in forecasts for parts of Canada
Canadians will experience contrasting weather on Thursday, from warmer temperatures in the Maritimes to extreme cold in parts of Ontario, the Prairies and the North.
Banks tell 2 Ontarians too much time has passed to cash decades-old cheque, GIC
Two Ontarians who recently found unclaimed money from decades-old investments were told by their banks there were no records of them in their systems.
She took a DNA test for fun. Police used it to charge her grandmother with murder in a cold case
According to court documents, detectives reopened the cold case in 2017 and then worked with a forensics company to extract DNA from Baby Garnet's partial femur, before sending the results to Identifinders International.
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks, sparking speculation and concern over who sent them and why.
WATCH LIVE Danielle Smith announces new team to patrol Alberta-U.S. border
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government will create a team of specially-trained Alberta Sheriffs tasked with patrolling the Alberta-U.S. border.
Rescue group saves 11-year-old girl floating alone in the Mediterranean for days after shipwreck
An 11-year-old girl from Sierra Leone was found floating in the Mediterranean Sea off Italy's southernmost island of Lampedusa, believed to be the only survivor of a shipwrecked migrant boat that had departed from the port of Sfax in Tunisia, a humanitarian group said Thursday.
Settlement reached in complaint over Canada Post layoffs as strike hits four weeks
The union representing Canada Post workers says an unfair labour practice complaint over the company's layoffs has been resolved.
Some breast cancer patients can avoid certain surgeries, studies suggest
Some early breast cancer patients can safely avoid specific surgeries, according to two studies exploring ways to lessen treatment burdens.
Local Spotlight
140-pound dog strolls solo into Giant Tiger store in Stratford, Ont.
A furry, four-legged shopper was spotted in the aisles of a Giant Tiger store in Stratford, Ont. on Sunday morning.
North Pole post: N.S. firefighters collect letters to Santa, return them by hand during postal strike
Fire departments across Nova Scotia are doing their part to ensure children’s letters to Santa make their way to the North Pole while Canada Post workers are on strike.
'Creatively incredible': Regina raised talent featured in 'Wicked' film
A professional dancer from Saskatchewan was featured in the movie adaptation of Wicked, which has seen significant success at the box office.
Montreal man retiring early after winning half of the $80 million Lotto-Max jackpot
Factor worker Jean Lamontagne, 63, will retire earlier than planned after he won $40 million on Dec. 3 in the Lotto-Max draw.
Man, 99, still at work 7 decades after opening eastern Ontario Christmas tree farm
This weekend is one of the busiest of the year for Christmas tree farms all over the region as the holidays approach and people start looking for a fresh smell of pine in their homes.
Saskatoon honours Bella Brave with birthday celebration
It has been five months since Bella Thompson, widely known as Bella Brave to her millions of TikTok followers, passed away after a long battle with Hirschsprung’s disease and an auto-immune disorder.
Major Manitoba fossil milestones highlight the potential for future discoveries in the province
A trio of fossil finds through the years helped put Manitoba on the mosasaur map, and the milestone of those finds have all been marked in 2024.
The 61st annual Christmas Daddies Telethon raises more than $559,000 for children in need
The 61st annual Christmas Daddies Telethon continued its proud Maritime tradition, raising more than $559,000 for children in need on Saturday.
Calgary company steps up to help grieving family with free furnace after fatal carbon monoxide poisoning
A Calgary furnace company stepped up big time Friday to help a Calgary family grieving the loss of a loved one.